Business Information and Technology Services

Printers help and support

Further information

Many of the printers at the University are supported by IT.

If your printer is supported by IT, it will have a two-character ID code, for example "FG", on a sticker on the printer.

Setting printers

You can see your printers by going to the Start Menu, then Settings, and then to Printers and Faxes. This will bring up a window showing all of your printers. If your computer has a default printer, this printer will have a tick against it.

To set a new or different printer as your default, click on the Start menu, select 'Settings' and then 'Printers and Faxes'. In the window showing all your printers, right-click on the desired printer and select the "Make Default" option. The printer icon will then have a small black tick on it to denote that it is now the default.

Adding a printer

Locate the two-character ID code on the printer, then follow these steps to connect to the printer:

Click on the Start menu, then on 'Settings', and finally on 'Printers and Faxes'.

In the address bar of the window that loads, type in the following \\printserv\xx where xx is the two-character printer code. This will add the printer to your printer list.

Printer problems

Printer not responding

Use this checklist to see if you can fix the problem yourself.

Are the cables connected? Some cables may have worked loose.

Reboot the printer. If all the lights seem to be working and the indicator lights are displayed, switch it off for a few seconds. This clears the onboard memory and may fix the problem.

Which lights are flashing? Different printers use different displays to show their operating status. Generally speaking if it says online then it should alright.

Paper Out means add additional paper to the drawer indicated.

Toner Low means it is running low on toner. This doesn't mean change the cartridge straight away, just that it will need changing sometime in the near future.

Paper jam

Open the panels on the printer to remove the paper, making sure to close them all properly afterwards. If you leave them even slightly ajar, the printer will not work until they are closed again.

Reconnecting

Before contacting IT, you can also try to remove the printer from your printer list and reconnect to it, to see if this will fix your problem.

To do this:

Click on the Start menu, then on 'Settings', and finally on 'Printers and Faxes'.

Select the affected printer, take note of its two-character ID, and press the delete key to remove the printer.

Once removed, click in the address bar of the window and type in the following \\printserv\xx where xx is the two-character printer code. This will return the printer to your printer list.